You’ve probably heard it a lot (or some variation of it): if you want to start a successful business, satisfy a compelling need.
Truth is, though, satisfying the customer is impossible. Customers satisfy themselves.
Successful businesses do not satisfy compelling needs – they create them. And then they allow customers to satisfy them.
Facebook doesn’t satisfy the need to be connected – people could connect before Facebook, and they can connect without Facebook.
What Facebook does is create a compelling need for connecting on their platform, and then they allow customers to do so.
The same thing with Uber. Uber doesn’t satisfy the need to go from A to B. People could go from A to B before Uber, and they can do so without Uber.
What Uber does is create a compelling need for going from A to B with their app, and then allow customers to do so.
This same principle applies to any business. Your local grocery store doesn’t satisfy your need to get groceries. Rather, it creates a compelling need (or reason) for you to buy groceries in their store, even if that reason is lower prices or better proximity.
So what’s the real lesson here?
As a business, your focus needs to shift from trying to satisfy customers (which is impossible) to giving your customers a compelling reason to do business with you.
Focus on making your business as unique as possible so that customers are super-clear why they are coming to you.